The Infernous
The Infernous is a location of Existence created by The Carver and the anguish of Gilgamesh. It functions as both a prison dimension and an afterlife of sorts in Universe A. The controller of The Infernous is typically the current ruler of the Dekn. History The Infernous was created by The Carver some time after he took his place as Emperor of the Dekn. Its original purpose was to contain the essence, and torment, of the Arkn King Gilgamesh after he was betrayed and murdered by The Carver. While the ways of its creation are a mystery, it is said that The Carver began the initial carving of the realm using Gilgamesh's detached jawbone, and that the former king's fear and agony formed a living energy which molded the location."(Chapter) 5", Arknthology Stories (Original) After Gilgamesh transferred his legacy to a child, he and his torment were sealed away in the heart of the realm, and The Infernous (as it became known) was re-purposed as a general prison dimension: a place to contain anything and everything, except for The Carver himself. The souls of both Arkn and Dekn came to be imprisoned there. In time, Persophelus Redgrave also added Humanity's Infernous, to contain the souls of special humans with dormant Arkn blood. The realm allegedly stayed alive by taking fuel from Gilgamesh's personal torment (in what was known to the Dekn as "The Heart of The Infernous"). It was said that whoever had control over the Infernous had control of the Dekn. The realm also grew to include the Infinity Hallway, an area in the "upper" region of the realm through which the Hethe could travel. At some point, the Arkn Cabinet installed a .Reality prototype known as Cloud9, which enabled them to keep an eye on prisoners throughout their sentence. This system would broadcast the torments of the prisoners for the viewing Arkn, as if they were a TV show or a movie. After discovering the system, The Carver and Redgrave went to destroy it; however, Carver ultimately decided to leave it in place, as he found it to be "entertaining". Control of The Infernous was later handed over to the former Arkn King Uriel, in a deal with The Carver. The realm was eventually shut down by the Arknangel Azrael, who began freeing its occupants. Before he could complete his work, however, the fabric of the realm began to unravel, causing the laws of physics to start breaking down (resulting in some sections turning upside-down and reality orbs falling from the sky). Some time after Azrael made his last escape,"15) The Infernous", Solar's Crimson Gilgamesh himself was released from the realm, at which point it started to collapse. What became of the Infernous (or the prisoners that remained there) is unknown. There are rumors, however, that one of the Deedrn took over the Infernous, turning it into a realm of nightmares and monsters. Characteristics The Infernous is a living realm, which formed outward from Gilgamesh's cell. It is fueled by the essence of torment itself, and was designed not just as a prison but a type of Hell, created to mold one's personal fears into a living reality. In addition to being empathic and telepathic, the realm is metamorphic in nature, allowing its cells to constantly shift and adjust to heighten the fear and suffering of each individual prisoner. It can also expand exponentially, in order to accommodate new arrivals and house countless Arkn, Dekn, and human prisoners. The "cells" of The Infernous can take on an infinite variety of forms and appearances. Most seem to appear as an ordinary, well-furnished house (with the ante-room sometimes appearing as the garage). However, they have also been shown to appear as a desolate forest, a park, an empty road, or a deserted highway rest stop. Drinking the water there can cause prisoners to temporarily lose their memories. Guards occasionally patrol its corridors, as do Redgrave and The Carver himself (and sometimes Gilgamesh). A prisoner who manages to escape from their cell is known as a "Prisoner Out of Torment". The Infernous is home to a variety of creatures, including Swipers, Lurkers, and sentient Lights, as well as Earthly lifeforms like flies and spiders (which are flesh-eaters). It also holds several dogs, including (allegedly) a large, black, three-headed dog resembling a rottweiler, which guards the Black Gate. Entrance and Exit The Infernous has numerous entrances, including The Drain (in The Beyond), Michael Knight's garage, and another (unseen) entrance which possesses a black gate."9-1 Fear of the Reaper", The Knight Shift. Despite this, the realm is designed so that the only way to gain entrance is to be thrown (or escorted)"1 The Knight", The Knight Shift. into it. Additionally, there is absolutely no way for an ordinary prisoner to escape from the Infernous: if someone is in the Infernous, they will remain there until whoever threw them in decides to allow them out. HOWEVER, '''there are several beings who are able to bypass these rules: * Az'uh'ra'el, due to possessing free will, is supposedly able to come and go from the Infernous as he pleases. (However, this is never shown, and remains unconfirmed.) * Uriel is able to leave (and possibly enter) the Infernous at will, due to his connection with Gilgamesh and having been spawned there. A later deal with The Carver gives him full control over the realm itself, allowing him to manipulate all aspects of his own imprisonment. * Malek (a fractured Hethe) enters the Infernous through The Drain to rescue Ellpagg (and departs just as easily). * Other Hethe (including De'ebo and Fab'ras) are able to enter and exit the Infernous through the Infinity Hallway. * Ellpagg is able to escape from the Infernous after absorbing power from The Carver. (However, he is only able to do so a few times, and is still capable of becoming trapped and imprisoned there.) * Azrael Michaelis Winter (whose body was killed by his converged partner, Xerex) learns how to break into (and escape from) the Infernous after multiple eternities of training with Ellpagg. He uses his abilities to free numerous prisoners who have overstayed their sentence. Like Ellpagg, he is still capable of being imprisoned or trapped in the realm, due to its memory wiping properties. Imprisonment Upon passing through the realm's border, the physical body of an individual will immediately die (if they aren't already dead). The prisoner's soul will then be escorted into The Infernous (either by Death itself, or by other means), simply "wake up" in the realm. Once the prisoner's sentence begins, it is broadcast over the Cloud9 stream. During the initial molding stage of imprisonment, the prisoner will typically experience multiple deaths or murders, before being allowed to realize that they are stuck. As this realization occurs, the prisoner becomes increasingly aware of their entrapment. This stage is usually when The Carver will personally see to them, typically using the Shade technique; utilizing this technique, The Carver will appear in person, and either torment the prisoner or leave them to suffer alone in solitude (depending on his mood at the time). Sometimes, Carver will start off posing as a "friend" of the prisoner, in order to make the reveal of his true identity and nature more devastating. The Infernous molds into a proper state of torment in response to what is required to fulfill its goal (i.e. creating the ultimate state of suffering), be it simple imprisonment or a series of torturous scenarios. Occasionally, associates of The Carver, such as Redgrave or Gilgamesh, will carry out the prisoner's torment or torture. (This has been seen with Ellpagg, who was tortured by Redgrave for attempting to escape, and with Ambriel, who was personally tortured and hunted by Gilgamesh.) The realm is capable of transforming any personal fear into a reality (provided it is physically possible); torments mentioned (or shown) have included: * Darkness * Food and drink deprivation * Starvation * Isolation * Hallucinations (auditory and visual) * Extreme heat (hot enough to cause one's skin to peel off) * Extreme cold * Attacks by monsters (both seen and unseen) * Bodily mutilations and/or alterations * Being deprived of weapons/armor/tools * Psychological torment and manipulation * Insect attacks (flies, bees, flesh-eating spiders) * Being deprived of hygiene essentials (running water, soap) Sometimes, the injuries inflicted on a prisoner will vanish or heal at the start of a new "night"; other times, the prisoner will be allowed to retain them in order to further their discomfort and suffering. '''' Prisoners * '''Gilgamesh Xeth'i'stral (Released) * [[Japheth'Kah'Iel|'Japheth'Kah'lel']] (Temporarily imprisoned) * Ellpagg (Escaped) * [[Michael Knight|'Michael Knight']] (Saved) * [[Ambriel|'Lahabrea']] (Released by Azrael) * [[Tobias Kestler|'Tobias Kestler']] (Released by Asmodeus) * Azrael Michaelis Winter (Released, Escaped) * Uriel (Escaped) * [[Trompeur|'Trompeur']] (Released) * Kry'toha * [[Abaddon|'Abaddon']] (Released by Azrael) * [[Raguel|'Raguel']] (Released) * Michael Knight's unnamed neighbor * Alex Winter (Imprisoned for his own safety; escaped) * Millions upon millions of unknown/unnamed Arkn and Dekn Notes and Trivia * The Infernous was introduced in ''The Knight Shift'', where it was originally called "The Dragon's Den" (in keeping with the "dark fairytale" motifs of the series). * The Infernous apparently has the innate ability to inflict memory loss upon its prisoners (as every prisoner seems to experience this upon entry, save for Azrael Michaelis Winter). * Lurkers might have had a hand in giving the Infernous its metamorphic properties. * Various areas in the Infernous (the driveway to the Garage, the dining room, the bathroom loop into the hall and guest room, Carver's gazebo) are circular in shape. According to DeathlyLogic, this is a reference to the circles of Hell in Dante's Inferno. * The "three-headed dog" mentioned by The Carver is a reference to Cerberus. Carver claims he didn't create it, and that he "doesn't mess with dogs". (It's possible that Carver is lying or joking, however, as said dog never appears on camera.) References Category:Universe A Category:Locations Category:Realms Category:Locations (Universe A) Category:Realms (Universe A)